Ultimate DVDs worth it?

Georgiboy

I was thinking about buying all of the ultimate dvd box sets for $180. Is it worth the money? Do they play much better than the special editions?

7289

I bought them all when they came out at about 50-60 $ a set for four sets.

I was not so much interested in having ALL the films as I was in getting the second discs with the background information.

Of course they scrambled the order of the movies so I couldn't just get the early ones or my favorites.

If you're a big fan and cherish the extra information, Interviews with Fleming and such they are worth the investment.

Some folks have decried the quality of some of the restorations - but they look good to me -especially Dr. No and FRWL.

Hey - after all it's only money!

Kirk James Kirk

Buy them now, my good man. The picture improvement on the older films is astonishing. I bought them for the new Roger Moore commentaries, which are a treat to listen to.

stumac7

I think it depends how much you like Bond films - for most people if they have the special editions that will be fine. On the otherhand if you are a bit of a completist (like me) and you are a big bond fan then get the ultimate editions.

You will notice most difference in the earlier films as the picture quality is excellent (Dr No looks superb). TBH the extras are not much better unless you are buying them for the commentaries.

One thing I did prefer from the special editions was the fact that they made a picture down the spine when they are put all together.

mhousty007

Yep, you should definitely buy them. 180 dollars is about 90 pounds isn't it?? If so, thats a real bargain.

Napoleon Plural

I keep harping on about this to little response, but I was disappointed in the OHMSS special edition as it seemed much darker than normal, in particular the pts had been mucked about with so I could hardly see it.

Also the sound quality seemed rough, with the music low in the mix. I switched the film off after 40 mins and took it back, and have bought the old version second hand.

Thus I am hesitant about shelling out. Even Goldfinger has been said to have a dodgy sound stereo mix. I thought the idea was that viewers could select the old mon sound if they wanted on the new disks. I can believe the pic quality on the older films is improved, however.

Solaris

If you already have the special editions then you do no "need" the Ultimate Editions, unless you want Roger's Commentary. which is worth the DVD price on its own. even if he does repeat himself a bit.

I myself only had the VHS Set to it was about time I updated to DVD so obviously I got the Ultimate editions. My VHS version of OMHSS is so bad now anyway I never really noticed whether the Ulitimate version is poor or not.

if you are a completest Bond fan and like listening and watching the extra stuff then get it.
if you already have the DVDs however there is not a lot to gain.


What am I saying? Buy it! Buy it NOW. of only for Sir Roger and his fantastic "one sided conversation"

mhousty007

I just watched Dr. No on the ultimate editions and I have to say it was spectacular. It was so colourful and vivid and it made Jamaica look amazing. You would think the movie was made last year, not forty five years ago.

stumac7

Agree completly with the above posting

darenhat

Finally got around to purchasing the UE Set #2. It arrived yesterday only to find that 'Thunderball' was missing from the set and in its place was an additional copy of DAD. X-(

Now I have to send it back and wait for it to arrive all over again.

Sorry. I just had to vent a little.

Napoleon Plural

That's adding insult to injury!

darenhat

Napoleon Plural wrote:

That's adding insult to injury!

) Apparently, someone is trying to get rid of their glut of unpurchased DAD dvds.

RJJB

I've found a perfect setup.

I bought the first five movies, brand new for $5 each. I love price wars between electronics stores. Five classic Bonds for $25.

My library also has the remastered versions, so if I really want to see the extra features, I can just check them out of the library at no cost.

The only other movie I need is OHMSS. DAF does not need to be replaced, simply because it's DAF. To me,the Dalton and Brosnan movies look fine on their original discs.

Lazenby

RJJB wrote:

The only other movie I need is OHMSS.

This brings me to the topic of a post of mine on elsewhere on this forum...for some reason OHMSS is the only film not to be released as a single in the ultimate edition line. This is a shame, as, apart from being one of the best films, it is also one that benefited the most from the remastering that was done. Does anyone know why it wasn't released as a single? (For anyone who cares you can order the 2-disc versions as singles through amazon.com.)

Pendragon

I have one of the sets, and I absolutely love it. great upgrade from the specials. I'm gonna get the other sets as soon as I have money, or some holiday involving presents for Pendragon comes up.

~Pen -{

s96024

I'm not condoning copyright piracy but all the UE are on rapidshare. There worth getting.